Captain Phil's
Albacon 2008 Report and Photos!
SATURDAY Part One
Saturday started with getting our badges and attending panels, panels and more panels! Lots of good Science Fiction discussion was happening even though the conventions Guest of Honor, Anne McCaffrey was unable to attend due to illness.
Anne was supposed to attend as co-GOH with her son Todd McCaffrey and after the announcement of her cancellation I sorta wished Albacon had a small plan "B". Maybe they could have gotten John Coker to come to the con and set up a conference call like he did for I-Con 22 back in 2003. John is a great guest as well and if Anne's health permitted we would have at least been able to listen to her at the con. But Todd McCaffrey is a great guest and spent a lot of time with the fans signing books, answering questions and being a great sport. What other convention guest has had the opportunity to read "The White Dragon" as it was being typed!
Still, under the circumstances the con did well, Albacon always seems to get through these bumps and deliver a solid, pleasant SF convention in the traditional style. A little reading, some filking, a little Anime and a little Masquerade. The time of year and location make for an extreminly relaxing event that's perfect right before the big holiday season.
Saturday I parked myself in the main function room, Ballroom B/C and recorded all the panels there from 10:00am through 5:00pm. I not a big Fantasy or Pern fan but my wife is and I wanted everything recorded for her to enjoy. I also love to document a conventions GOH talks which made up half of Saturdays programming in this room so it made sense to stay put.
Also this is the first convention I've been able to try out my new Hard Drive Camcorder and I wanted to see how well it performed and how long the battery would last. The Battery kept going from 10:00am with intermittant breaks through 9:00pm! Then I switched batteries to the one that came with the camera to record the end of the Saturday musical guest, Rebecca Angel
Not bad!
Here are some pictures of the panels and events I saw on Saturday at Albacon!
10:00am Dragons in SF featuring,
Melissa Mead, Sharon Lee, Mary Turzillo, Morgan Brillant, D. Cameron Calkins and his green Dragon.
 
The Dragon lets Calkins speak!
11:00am Todd McCaffrey signing
My sister and daughter on the Todd line.
 
Todd explains the meaning of life while Fan GOH Gary S Blog looks to his left
 
Author Jackie Kessler brings some sunshine indoors to Albacon!
Tough to autograph opposite the conventions GOH, Jackie does a great job!
Check out her books here:
http://www.jackiekessler.com/
11:00am panel Folktales & Myths featuring:
Daniel Grotta, Rosemary Edghill, Michael McAfee and Roberta Rogow
 
 
I don't remember much of this panel probably because I ran out to watch the Todd McCaffery signing and also met Jackie Kessler who was really sweet. I will say I must have seen Rosemary Edghill at other conventions but I didn't remember her. She's a great panelist and moderator and kept the discusion moving forward in any panel she was on. Bring her back next year!
12:00pm Fan Guest of Honor Speech:
Gary S. Blog
 
Fan GOH speeches can be quirky and funny. A few have been dull and one or two have been really interesting. Gary hit it dead center with an interesting talk about his life in fandom, his various fannish activities and what type of soap he uses during a convention thus eliminating the myth that fans never shower!
12:00pm Covering it featuring:
Peter Brett, Steve Miller and Barcly Shaw
During the fan GOH speech I snuck out for a minute and looked at the book cover panel going on next door. Barclay Shaw is one of my favorite artists and I was curious to see if they had a slideshow going next door.
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